Gas apparatus



2 D. N A L R E H T U `qu M A GAS APPARATUS.

Patented. Juy%1a, 1893.

.I 1N VENTOR I 4mm J MM ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

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Patented July 18, 1898.

INVENTUR ATTORNEY /7/7/ IHN III Am.

Il all ---II/I .(No Modgl.) AI M. GAS APPARATUS.

WITNESSES M llNrrno STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER M. SUTI-IERLAND, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

GAS AePARATus.

SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters Patent No. 501,698, dated July 18, 1893.

Applicata.; nea August 22. 1292.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER M. SUTH- EBLAND, a subject of the Queen of England, and a resident of Orange, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain newV and useful Improvements in Gas Apparatus, of which the followingis aspecification'.

The object of my invention is to produce a water gas generator which shall haveadvantage in cheapness and compactness of construction, and which at the same time shall be efficient in producing a well fixed gas enriched by low grade hydro-carbon oils.

It is well known that hydro-carbons of low specific gravity, while frequently yielding a more luminous and a greater volume of gas from a given quantity than those of the lighter specific gravity, require a higher degree of heat intheir transformation than those of the lighter grades of oil.

To obtain the necessary heat for the purpose of obtaining fair results from heavy hydro-carbons by the generatorhitherto used, the fixing space has to be raised to so high temperature that a part of the best of the gas is lost during the first part of the run by being formed into lamp black, while toward its close the temperature is so rapidly lowered that another part of the gas is so imperfectly xed as to be lost in condensation.

By my invention I provide the fixing chamberwith a supplemental hydro-carbon heater or heaters by which I heat that portion of the fixing chamber which is'farthest from thecupola, and by this means, while I am not compelled to raise any partl of the generatorto such a heat as to be destructive to itself or to be wasteful to-both the carbonand the oil, I obtain and maintain an aggregate Vof suchv well distributed heat as effects the best resuits, I also provide the fixing chamber with a serles of horizontal nues, and end spaces at. front and back joining the iiues in sets, so that the gas passes back and forth through the iiues, which construction not only gives extensive fixing surface and enables me to make the generator of small dimensions, but

prevents radiation and loss of heat, and enables me to uniformly heat the fixing chamberthroughout by supplemental heaters which force the products of combustion therefrom through the flues.

Serial No. 443,781. (No model.)

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an isometric projection of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the apparatus taken in the plane --x of Fig. l. Fig.3 is a perspective View thereof with a portion of the casing broken away to show the interior of the cupola and fixing chamber. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken in the plane @/-y of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of one of the movable super-heaters, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged View of one of the hydro-carbon supplemental heaters.

A represents the cupola, B the primary and C the secondary fixing chamber. These are inclosed by a continuous casing, E, constructed of fire brick or other refractory material, in-

cased in a gas tight covering preferably of boiler iron, and are separated from one another by the main partition F, which reaches from the front to the back wall, and the lateral partition G, which reaches from the main partition F to the adjacent' side wall of the casing. y

, The cupola is formed atthe top with a fuelsupply opening, A', closed by an exposed gastight cap, A2, and is provided at the bottom with a series of gratebars, A3, elevated slightly from the iioor of the casing, to form an ashpit, A4, which is closed by a door, A5. The top of the cupola A is put in communication with the top of the fixing chamber B by a flue, a, formed in the partition G, and in the said fixing chamber B, are placed refractory brick or tile B cross laid and spaced to form interstices for the free passage of gas down among them to the flue c formed in the main partition F, which connects the fixing chamber B, with the fixing chamber C, at the bot- ICC and to gain greater lixing surface. The division is made by intermediate plates or shelves f, also of tiling or other refractory material, and the spaced tiers of brick 71. 7L. The said shelves or plates f are of less area than the plates d d', and the brick Work and intermediate plates are spaced from the front and back Walls of the chamber to form the vertical end space g g', through which the gas and also the products of combustion from the supplemental heaters pass from the lower tothe next upper set of flues until they reach the top spacej, from which they pass through the domeJ and pipe J to a hydraulic seal (not shown), and thence through condensers, scrubbers, and purifiers to the holder.

The llues e e may be multiplied to any extent desired, or a less number than here shown may be used.

K K represents hydro-carbon burners by means of which the heating of the Iiues of the fixing chamber C, atthe beginning of the run, is assisted. Theseburners are preferably of the steam injector type, and are each provided With an inner orifice or nozzle s and an outer orice or nozzle s2. Through the inner orifice or nozzle s steam is forced when the burner is in operation, While through the outer orifice s2 hydro-carbon oil is drawn by the action of the steam as it issues from its nozzle. In the disposition of these burners, I prefer to arrange them on opposite sides of the door L and" at points slightly below the next to the lowermost plate d, whereby to cause them to discharge their flames in the same direction as the products of combustion from the cupola are moving to thereby not only apply their heat in the most efficient manner, but also to cause them to aid in forcing such products of combustion through the machine by creating a draft therethrough.

To supply oil to the burners K K, I employ the branch pipes 7o 7c which lead from the main oil supply pipe 7c thereto, While to supply steam to such burners I make use of the branch pipes l Z2 which extend from the main steam pipe Z to said burners, as shown.

The main oil supply pipe 7c is provided with branches m fm, which enter the top of the cupola, for supplying the hydro-carbon thereto in the form of a spray for enriching the gas, and thesteam pipe Z is provided with branches n n which connect with the super-heaters M, and from the super-heaters extend pipes n n', through which the super-heated steam is conducted to the bottom of the cupola beneath the charge of fuel.

The super-heaters M are fitted in recesses M', formed in the Walls F and G adjacent to the cupola to be heated therefrom, and are each composed of a coil of pipe placed therein', the ends of which are connected to the pipes n n by screw couplings or unions n2, by which the pipes n n may be readily attached to and detached from the inclosed pipe, thus adapting the super-heater to be easily taken from the recess and replaced.

Leading to the ash-pit below the grate bars is a suitable pipe N by means of which, and

under pressure, air may be supplied in starting.

In operation a fire is first kindled in the cupola, a charge of carbonaceous materlal supplied thereto, and the air blast started. At the same time the supplemental burners K are started, and the door L and the cap J2 of the dome J opened to admit the necessary 1` supply of air, and permit of the products of combustion and heat being forced through the iiues of the fixing chamber and out into Y the air.

By this operation I am enabled to heat the flues thoroughly and uniformly throughout, and thereby avoid not only the evils of lamp black and the consequent loss of gas, but also the excessive heating of the other parts of the generator. Further thanV this, When the xing cham-ber is thus heated I am enabled by the more thorough and uniform distribution of heat, to make longer runs between heatings than with the common forms ofV generators, and by formi-ng the fixing chamber with back-and-forth flues I obtain and maintain such uniform andwell dis- 'tributed heatv in the brick and tile Work of the chamber C as to give the best results.

Vhen the ixing chambers B and C are. thoroughly heated, and the charge in the cupola Well ignited, the door L, and cap J2, Will be f closed, the air-blast and burners K cu-t off,

and steam and oil admitted to the cupola. The steam thus admitted will then pass up through, will be decomposed. The gases resulting from this decomposition and passage Vthrough the incandescent material arriving f at the top of the cupola Will commingle With the products of the combustion of thehydrocarbon supplied at that point and will pass jon therewith through the primary and secondary fixing chambers B O, and become thoroughly fixed by the heat therefrom. I-Iaving passed through the xing chambers and arriving at the dome J, the resulting gaswi-ll 'be conducted off through the pipe J" as a fixed and permanent gas.

'In the foregoing I have described the best means contemplated by me for carrying my invention into practice, but I Wish it distinctly understood that I do not limit myself' strictly thereto, as it is obvious that I may modify the same in various Ways Without de-V t parting from the spirit thereof.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, With a cupola in which 1 the heating and decomposition of the mate- IIO to discharge their heat in the line of the tluesv other by partitionsF G, of the iue a for con-- necting the top of the cupola with the top of the fixing chamber B, liue c for connecting the bottom of fixing chamber B with the bottom of xing chamber C, and supplemental heaters K K arranged to discharge their heat inthe Iixing chamber C in the same direction as the products of combustion coming from the cupola are passing, to both aid in heating such chamber Vand assist in creating a draft through the machine, as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination, with a cupola A in which the heating and decomposition of the materials entering into the manufacture of vthe gas are effected, fixing chambers B and C, a continuous casing in which the lcupola and iixin g chambers are arranged, iiue a for connecting the cupola with Vthe fixing chamber B, and flue c for connecting the fixing chamber B with the ixing chamber C, of longer and shorter plates d d arranged alternately in the fixing chamber C to form end spaces and tlues between them, and supplemental heaters arranged to discharge their heat in the line of these last mentioned fiues,

to both aid in heating the same and assist in creating a draft through the machine, as and for the purposes described. Y

In testimony whereof -I have hereunto setv my hand-this 16th day of August, 1892.

ALEXANDER M. SUTHERLAND.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. OLARKsoN, F. W. HAsTINGs. Y 

